Using RAPD markers to investigate genetic variation in chickpea

In Cicer arietinum isozyme analysis has revealed only a limited amount of genetic variation. Molecular markers are reported to be able of better disclosing differences among genotypes. In order to estimate the potential of RAPD markers in chickpea genetic studies, six genotypes, including "Calia", a recently constituted chickpea variety, were evaluated using 60 different 10-mer primers of arbitrary sequence. Most primers did not reveal any polymorphism, however a moderate level of variation was detected among the six genotypes. Different amplification protocols were also compared in order to evaluate their reproducibility and to identify the ones best fitting the evaluation needs. The results indicate that RAPDs may constitute a relatively simple and efficient method for analyzing variation in C. arietinum collections.